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T B Larsen

Publications and source records attributed to T B Larsen.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Sudden infant death syndrome, childhood thrombosis, and presence of genetic risk factors for thrombosis.

Sudden infant death syndrome or "cot death" has until the late eighties been a significant cause of death in children between the ages of 1 month and 1 year. Approximately two per 1000 children born alive dies of sudden infant death syndrome each year in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. The vulnerability of the infant brain stem to ischemia has been suggested to be a conceivable cause of sudden infant death syndrome. This is compatible with a hypothesis that genetic risk factors for cerebral thrombosis could cause microinfarction in the brain stem during the first month of life, affecting vital centers or their blood supply. The presence of three common point mutations seen in families with thrombophilia (1691G-->A in the coagulation factor V gene, 677C-->T in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene, and the 20210G-->A mutation in the prothrombin gene) could increase the risk for thrombosis in the child. This prompted us to investigate these genetic markers of thromboembolic disease in 121 cases of sudden infant death syndrome and in relevant controls, in the expectation of a more frequent occurrence of these markers if thrombosis is an etiological factor in sudden infant death syndrome. The frequency of homozygous 1691G-->A mutation in SIDS cases was higher than expected (odds ratio: 7.3, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-45.8). The allele frequencies (theta;) in cases of sudden infant death syndrome of the 1691G-->A, 677C-->T, and 20210G-->A alleles was 2.6% (1.0-5.5), 32.6% (26.8-38.9), and 0.9% (0.1-3.4), respectively. None of the allele frequencies found in the background population (3.4% for the 1691G-->A allele, 29% for the 677C-->T allele, and 1% for the 20210G-->A allele) differed significantly from that in cases of sudden infant death syndrome. In 5,251,027 inhabitants in Denmark, the incidence of venous thromboembolism was 0.9 per 1000 per year in the background population, and less than one-thousandth of these were children. Consequently it is not likely that venous thrombosis is a major cause of sudden infant death syndrome. On the other hand, this does not exclude other known or unknown risk factors for thrombosis as possible etiological factors for sudden infant death syndrome. It is likely that we must continuously employ the exclusion principle on possible etiological causes in genetic material from a large group of victims of sudden infant death syndrome if the phenomenon of sudden infant death syndrome is to be ascribed to a specific hereditary disorder.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

Evaluation of a simple dosage scheme for transition from phenprocoumon to warfarin in oral anticoagulation.

Phenprocoumon, whose elimination half-time is 144 hours, has been the traditional oral anticoagulant of choice in Europe. However, today's most widely used drug is warfarin, whose elimination half-time is 40 hours. This study aims to evaluate a method for safe transition from phenprocoumon to warfarin, which is sometimes required. Hence, the large difference in their elimination rates may on occasion lead to serious overdosage upon transition from one drug to the other. According to average equipotent doses, a stepwise increase in warfarin dose was calculated based on the elimination half-times of the two drugs. The dosage scheme was subsequently tested in a pilot study including 35 patients. The conversion scheme was then adjusted based on the results from the pilot study. The new scheme was tested in 69 patients. The transition factor was 2.3, which implies that equipotency was achieved when the warfarin dose was 2.3 times larger than the phenprocoumon dose (in mg). This scheme proved optimal for 75% of the patients. However, the dose had to be adjusted individually in the remaining 25% of the patients to a level corresponding to the measured international normalised ratios. No patients experienced haemorrhages or thromboembolic complications during the period of changeover. In conclusion, the proposed scheme for changing medication from phenprocoumon to warfarin is safe and convenient.

Administration, Oral↗

Effect of anticoagulant therapy on the hypercoagulable state in patients carrying the factor V Arg506Gln mutation.

Resistance to activated protein C, caused by a single point mutation in the factor V gene (Arg506Gln or FV Leiden), is the most prevalent single risk factor associated with venous thromboembolic disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of standard oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) in patients with the Arg506Gln mutation compared with a matched control group. The study compared selected variables in 27 patients carrying the Arg506Gln mutation with 27 sex- and age-matched controls in steady state oral anticoagulant treatment (OAT). The study showed that similar doses of vitamin K antagonists in carriers and noncarriers suppress and generate a uniform distribution of coagulation markers in steady state OAT. Thus, it seems that OAT with standard treatment doses is just as effective in patients with the Arg506Gln mutation as in comparable controls without the mutation.

Activated Protein C Resistance↗

The Arg506Gln mutation (FV Leiden) among a cohort of 4188 unselected Danish newborns.

Resistance to activated protein C (APC) is the most prevalent single phenomenon associated with thromboembolic disease. It is caused by a single point mutation in the factor V gene (Arg506Gln or FV Leiden), replacing an Arg506 with a Gln at the APC-cleavage site in factor V. In this study we present a prevalence study of the Arg506Gln mutation in a large Danish cohort. By screening 4188 newborns (8376 alleles) we identified 3.4% alleles (95% CI: 3.0-3.8) of the Arg506Gln mutation, corresponding to a heterozygous prevalence of 6.6% (95% CI: 5.9-7.4) in Denmark. This is significantly lower than what has been reported from southern Sweden. The birth cohort has been selected from the entire country, providing representative and accurate estimates of the gene frequencies. Equal gender distribution was found, and the Arg506Gln mutation is probably not a considerable risk factor in fetal life in the general population.

Cohort Studies↗

[Resistance to activated protein C. The most common cause of familial thrombophilia].

Resistance to activated protein C (APC) is caused by the most prevalent single gene defect associated with thromboembolic disease so far described. The majority of cases are caused by a single point mutation in the Factor V gene, which predicts replacement of Arg506 in the APC-cleavage site with a Gln. APC resistance is found in 20-60% of patients with venous thrombosis and in 3-10% of the normal population among Caucasians. In its heterozygous state, the mutation is associated with a 5-10-fold increased risk of thrombosis. Homozygosity is associated with more severe APC resistance, and a higher risk of developing thrombosis. By the age of 33 years, 8% of normals, 20% of heterozygotes, and 40% of homozygotes have had manifestations of venous thrombosis. APC resistance has been described in 60% of women with thromboembolic complications during pregnancy and in approximately 30% of women with thromboembolic complications using oral contraceptives. Development of clinical episodes of thrombosis in patients with APC resistance is likely to occur on a multifactorial basis. Hypercoagulable states may result from multigene interactions, and prothrombotic insults in patients with an inherited predisposition may precipitate thrombotic complications. In this review we present and discuss results from the recent medical literature.

Anticoagulants↗

Bone formation in cranial, mandibular, tibial and iliac bone grafts in rats.

Several studies have suggested that grafts from membranous derived bone (e.g., calvarial grafts) retain their volume better than those from endochondral derived bone (e.g., iliac bone grafts). Increased osteogenesis in grafts of the former type has been offered as the explanation. However, simple volume measurements of the recovered grafts do not differentiate between viable and dead bone. We studied fresh syngeneic full-thickness bone grafts from calvaria, mandibula, tibia diaphysis, and iliac bone implanted in the back muscles of young Lewis rats. Bone formation in grafts recovered 3 weeks postoperatively was quantitatively evaluated by strontium 85 uptake analyses. We found that the strontium 85 uptake was greater in calvarial and mandibular grafts than in tibial grafts. No difference was found among calvarial, mandibular, and iliac grafts or between tibial and iliac grafts. We conclude that the anatomical area of harvest is important regarding new bone formation in syngeneic bone grafts. However, the results do not support the contention that better maintenance of volume of calvarial grafts compared with iliac bone grafts is due to enhanced osteogenesis in the former.

Animals↗

Revascularization of calvarial, mandibular, tibial, and iliac bone grafts in rats.

Some studies have suggested that membranous bone grafts undergo less resorption than endochondral grafts, and faster revascularization of the former has been proposed as the explanation. We studied fresh syngeneic full-thickness bone grafts from calvaria, mandibula, tibia diaphysis, and iliac bone implanted in the back muscles of young Lewis rats. As a measure of the quantity of cancellous bone in grafts before implantation, the ratio of the total area of soft-tissue spaces to the total area of the graft was measured histomorphometrically. Revascularization in grafts 3 weeks postoperatively was evaluated by deposit of 141Ce-labeled microspheres. Both the quantity of cancellous bone (before implantation) and the revascularization (3 weeks postoperatively) were greater in the mandibular and iliac bone grafts than in the calvarial and tibia diaphyseal grafts. The results suggest that the anatomical area of harvest of bone graft is important regarding early revascularization, but the results do not support the theory that different embryological mode of development is the cause since mandibula (high 141Ce index) and calvaria (low 141Ce index) are of membranous origin and iliac bone (high 141Ce index) and tibia (low 141Ce index) are of endochondral origin. The difference in revascularization between the different grafts may be explained by differences in quantity of cancellous bone since cancellous bone is revascularized faster than cortical bone.

Animals↗

Fracture weakens ipsilateral long bones: mechanical and metabolic changes after femoral or tibial injury in rats.

We have studied the effect of tibial osteotomy on mechanical and metabolic properties of the femur, and the effects of femoral osteotomy or fracture on mechanical properties of the tibia in rats. In the bone ipsilateral to the trauma, there was a significant reduction of mechanical strength and stiffness, both in bending and torsion, compared with the contralateral side. The ipsilateral bone lost weight and the blood flow was increased. The mineral incorporation rate was not affected. This may be due in part to disuse of the traumatized limb, but the fracture itself may affect the other bones in the extremity.

Animals↗

Fresh, frozen, or decalcified bone grafts: a study of early vascularisation and mineralisation of allogeneic and syngeneic bone grafts in rats.

The incorporation of syngeneic and allogeneic bone grafts pretreated by freezing or demineralisation was studied in 10 rats. Fresh, decalcified, or frozen cancellous bone of syngeneic or allogeneic origin was transplanted to intramuscular pouches. Revascularisation was evaluated with radioactive microspheres; formation of new bone was assessed by incorporation of strontium, and resorption was assessed by measuring the reduction of graft weight. Three weeks after grafting, fresh syngeneic and allogeneic bone differed significantly in all three variables. Frozen syngeneic bone was revascularised significantly better than frozen allogeneic bone, but there was no difference in formation of new bone or resorption. There were no significant differences between syngeneic and allogeneic decalcified bone in any of the variables studied. We conclude that differences in incorporation between syngeneic and allogeneic bone grafts are reduced by pretreatment with deep-freezing or demineralisation. Both forms of pretreatment affect the incorporation of the grafts.

Animals↗

Bone grafts in T-cell deficient rats.

Revascularization, new bone formation, and resorption of fresh syngeneic and allogeneic cancellous bone that were transplanted to an intramuscular pouch have been studied in athymic and normal rats. Revascularization was evaluated with radioactive microspheres; formation of new bone was assessed with 85Sr incorporation; and resorption was measured by the graft weight reduction. Animals were killed 2, 6, or 12 weeks after transplantation. The circulation and bone formation in allogeneic grafts were greatly impaired in normal rats as compared with the athymic group and the syngeneic grafts. The allografts in normal rats had a smaller weight reduction than the allografts in athymic rats, suggesting impaired resorption. We conclude that the T-lymphocyte system is at least partly responsible for the difference between syngeneic and allogeneic bone grafts, and that the thymus-dependent primary rejection mechanism probably is important for the vitality of allogeneic bone grafts.

Animals↗